Gas apparatus



UNITED STATES meneer PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK D. MOSES, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY; THOMAS-WATSON EXECUTOR OF SAID FRANK 'D. MOSES, DECEASED.

GAS APPARATUS.

Application led November 22, 1924. Serial No. 751,588.

This invention relates generally to the production of gaseous fuels and to an apparatus therefor.

There are Various types of gaseous fuels manufactured and distributed for domestic and industrial purposes, and also used at the places where they arey made. These types of gaseous fuels may be divided into two great classes, according to whether or not the apparatus in which they are manufactured is heated internally or externally. Thus, coal gas i? a fuel gas which is made by the distillati?,l i of coal in apparatus that is heated externally, While both water gas and producer gas are manufactured in apn paratus wherein the heating takes place internally. Generally the manufacture of such gaseous fuels is accomplished in apparatus which is particularly designed for the purpose7 although in the manufacture of producer gas, it is customary to introduce i steam and thereby control the temperature Within the producer, with the result that a certain amount of water gas is made along 'with the producer gas.4 However, in the manufacture of water gas itself, an apparatus is used which is especially designed for that purpose.

IVhere I have tried to recover distillation products from carbonaceous material and bymmeans of one single apparatus manufacture coal gas, blue gas, carburetted blue gas, producer gas, I have found that the progressive changes in volume of the carbonaceous matter taking place, beginning with the raw material up to complete reaction, are

ysuch as to render the gas generating apparatus, as presently designed, incapable of operation in this fashion without clogging up of the apparatus and disturbance of thereactions that take place therein.

The object of my invention is to accom- `rplish the manufacture of a mixed gas by a combined external and internal heating of the carbonaceous fuel. Furthermore this invention resides in the `cornplete gasification is produced and the final product is merely ash or clinker.

, Another object of my invention is to provide a means for the complete gasification of coal and other carbonaceous fuel which will be available to the small gas plant. The' present systems devised for the complete gasification of coal are unavailable to theI small gas plant for the simple reason that the manufacturing ca acity of these systems 'w is far greater than w at is required in such gas works.

Another object of my invention is to manufacture a mixed gas of varying thermal capacity, providing a means to enable the g5 gas works to control the caloric value of, the gas. Thus it is possible for the gas works that employs -this invention to make gas suitable for various needs in one and the same apparatus.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a means for the recuperation of. the heat developed in the internal combustion of the fuel within the generator, and to use this recuperated heat for the external -75 heating of that art of the apparatus Wherein distillation o the fuel takes place. Thus,

yit is possible in one and the same apparatus -to distill coal, to make water. gas by the rey the apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus. In the drawings, 1 designates the gas gen- 95 erator, and 2 the regenerator which is built around the generator uniting with the latter to form a unitary construction. The shell 3 of the gas generator 1, is made of iron, and is lined with fire-brick `4,. The shell 5 100 of the regenerator is also made ofiron, and,

is lined with fire-brick 6. lAt the bottom of the gas generator 1,' there is an inlet 7 for steam, and another inlet 8 for air, and

an outlet 9 for the removal of the 'clinker whichcollects onthe lgrate 10. Another outlet for the removal of the clinker and ash dropping through the grate is provided A at 10A.l

An outlet `11 controlled by a valve 11A vis provided for the discharge` of water gas vduring the down run operation of the apparatus. The main body of h ot, carbonaceous fuel-in the generator isseen at 12, and the coal in progress of distillation is shown at l 13. The suction pipe connection. is seen 'at 14. At the top of the carbonizing retort is the charging door 15; 16 isfthe outlet for cel l'producers as they are now used.

the coal gas; and 16AA is the pipe leading this gas to the water seal 17, from which the gas passes to the exhauster 18, and 'thence eventually through the pipe 32 to a gas puri-v `fy'ing plant (not shown). Ihe regulator and steam engine driving the exhauster are not shown, being standard apparatus. v

The'regenerator 2 is filled with checkerwork 1'9, and the lower Aend .is provided with air inlets 20 .and 21, which are con-A trolled by valves 22 and 23. The air blast..

is passed through pipe 26A, dividin g and passing'through pipes 25A and 24A,

the

former connected Awith the air 'inlet 8 and the latter with the inlet 21. The air inlet 20 is "also connected with the main blast -line, the `connection not being vshown on the drawing. A blue water gas outlet 27 controlled by the valve 27A opens from the regenerator at its topy as do the s tack valves 25 and..26.v g

A- pipe 31 connected to the gas outlet 16, a pipe 28, a water seal 29, a pipe 30,' and another 31A, connected by a regulator to the pipe 32 leading to a purification plant,I forms a by-pass for water gas, about the' seal 17. l

The exhauster 18, is driven by a standard type. of steam lengine :(not shown in the figure), and is itself connected through thepipe 14, with the interior of the carbonizing.

retort v'section of the apparatus, inA vother words, that partvof the apparatus which is surrounded bythe heat regenerator. In

vthis way the speed of the exhauster is con-- A distinctive feature in therdesign of the new gas apparatus,'and one Which I claim particularly as novel'and importannis the construction of the gas generator or'reaction chamber,essentially in three-parts or .sections A, B. and C.. The lowerpart A of the generator is cylindricalin form,'hav ing a vertical wall. This part of the generator is approximately 9 feet high, and I prefer to make it thatheight although its exact dimensions arenot Van essential feature of my invention. Accordingly, Ixd not'limitmyself to such dimensions as mentioned above, or hereinafter described,wbut

have chosen these, that-are given herein, as being thepreferred form for-my'purpose, and which I describe by wayof 1llustration.

` Preferably the lower vertical 'part A of my generator connects directlyv wlth the in.-

'termediate section B which is in the form of a hollow, truncated cone. This inter'- mediate section is about 8 feet high. The 'intermediate section B joins on to the top section or part C which is '4' feet high,`and.

- which is also in the form of' a hollow'trun-y cated cone, but the conical Iangle ofthe section C is greaterthanv--the conicalv angleof' the' sectionl gB.

Thus, the generator comprises a'. c},llindriv caland two truncated cone lsectionsLthe latter having sides Aof diiierent inclination.

The total height of the apparatus is, 21 feet.

Thepurposeof making the 4generator of this form is to secure an even distribution and uninterrupted downward flow of the- Vcarbonaceous fuel which isintroducedinto thegenerator at the top. This is made possible by sloping the sides of the -carbonizingfretortformed by the sections A and B with inclined side walls as described above, so that the coal that is introduce slides down along the inclined side walls, Aand as this action takes place, is subjected to disfrom external sources through the `walls of the generator. Such easy, free, unhampered motion of the fuel, in spite of the .increase 4tillation through the transmission of heat in volume occasioned by tumefactin, is im! possible in producers and gas Agenerators o f ordinary design, for the reason that the swollen mass of 4coal bin'ds against the walls of theapparatus and results in its clogging up,- so that operation must be interrupted and the apparatus cleaned out before it can be resumed. Vhile it is preferred to make the upper portion of this gas generating apparatus in two sections, as described heretofore, it is also possible and advantageous to make this sloping portion of the generator in multiple sections, three 'ormore in number. In .fact it has also been found to be advantageous to increase the number of these sections infinitely and make' the upper portion of the generator in the form of a dome. The same advantageous results are obtained thereby as hereinto and nhereinafter deinfames scribed. It is thus my purpose not to limit the scope of this invention to a generator with two sloping upper sections, this being merely one of many ways in which the upper portion of said generator may be con.- structed within the meaning of the above.

Another important feature of this new apn paratus arising from its construction, as heretofore described, is that the fuehafter being introduced at the top of the apparatus, is distributed in a thin annular layer around a central mass of hot carbon, the width of this annular layer gradually decreasing as the coal descends along the sides of the carbonizing retort. 1n this Way it is possible to carbonize the fuel by the transmission of heat from external sourcesv through the Walls of the carbonizing retort,

such carbonization taking placein such a manner that by the time that the fuel has reached approximately the beginning of the vertical section of the apparatus, all the volatile matter that was originally contained in it has been distilled.

It has also been found in operating this type ofy gas apparatus that carbonization will take place quicker than in the ordinary apparatus, and the capacity of the apparatus will be considerably greater than one of another design which possesses the same eubical volume.

Still another advantage of this apparatus is the fact that the hydrocarbons, comprising the volatile matter in thecarbonacous fuel used therein, are given an opportunity.-

not only to be distilled over in the form of vapors, but also to be converted into the state of a lxedl gas by coming in contact with the hot masses of carbon in the central portion of the generator. This naturally results in the productionV of a gas of higher. thermal value than would otherwise beob' tained.

An additional feature of my invention but 'which it is not intended to be claimed as original in itself, but only so far as it applies to the apparatus .which is described vand claimed hereinafter, is the heat regenerator which surrounds the non-vertical sections of the generator. This regenerator isvmade in the usual .form and serves to store heat during a certain stage of the operation of the apparatus, which heat is afterwards employed for the distillation of the coal that posed and lost.

producer by transmitting the suction developed therein through a suitable pipe, connecting the same with a re ulator, either of a standard type for control ing the introducf tion of steam into a steam engine driving the exhauster, or of the rheostat type for reg ulating the speed of an electric prime mover driving the exhauster. In this manner it is possible to maintain Vthe proper suction within the inclined sections of the apparatus, so that the flow of gas that is manufactured therein will be diverted into the proper outlets and not permitted to escape into the recuperator whichis connected with the interior of the generator. If this did take place, the hydrocarbons in the gas would be decom- It is noted that the connections between the generator and the re- -generator cannot be closed by valves.v The particular type of controlling device used in regulating the speed of the exhauster, so as to obtain the proper suction, is not an essential part of this invention, and any suitable arrangement may be used for this control. i

In operating the new type of gas producing apparatus', herein described, the fuel, which may be either soft coal,l hard coal,

'Coke` or other carbonaceous matten' is charged through the charging door, 15, and is filled intothe apparatus, as is shown in the accompanying figure. AftertheI coal is put into the apparatus, the charging door-is closed and a re is huilt inthe bottom of the generator and the coal is set on fire. A blast of air is then permitted to pass through the burning coal by opening the valve 23A. The stack valves, 25 and 26, are then opened the coal heated, and the producer gas, which is formed during this process of blasting, passes up through the openings, ZOA and 20B, and thence up through. the. checkerwork of the regenerator surrounding the retort section of the apparatus. Air is also admitted to the regenerator through the valves 22 and 23, and the producer gas mixed with air is burned inv the ing of the coal in the-lower part ofthe gen-iv y.erator during the air blasting process con-` verts it into coke and generates producer gas in' the'regular manner. When the retort section of the generator has been heated up to a high enough temperature in thisway, the blasting process is discontinued'. The stack valves, and 26, are closed and the blast yof air is shut off by closing the valve water gas passes through the pipe, 31, the.

23A. The valves 22 and 23 are also closed and the apparatus is now readyfor the manufacture of water gas. The exhauster, which runs continually and draws oill the coal gas, while the air blastingis being car' ried on, is continued in operation, whilev steam is then admitted through the opening, 7, at the bottom ofthe apparatus. This steam 'passes into'the apparatusunder the grate bars, makes its way throughrthe incandescent Vcoke, produced. as been indi.-

cated during the airA blasting process, andy acting on this incandescent carbon, forms water gas.

lVhile the exhauster is allowed to draw the gas out of the apparatus, thewater gas. passes up through the' retort section of the apparatus, where its temperature is considerably raised.- Furthermore, this gas'in passing through the decomposing coal in that section ofthe apparatus, helps to carbonize the same and alsov assists-1n carrying ofi' the hydrocarbons and tarry vapors distilled from the coal.

As hasbeen described, the speed of 4the exhauster is controlled by means of a regulator, which is itself controlled by the suction which is maintained in the retort section of the gas apparatus. However, the

exhausteris not able to remove all the gas that is formed .in the apparatus, as Water gas is -made at a considerably greater rate than coal` gas.- The result is that the excess by-pass 28, thewater seal 29, and pipes 30 and 31A, and eventually ismixed with the gas drawn-off by the exhauster and passes fto a purification plant through the ma1n32.

. Under certain conditions it is desirable to make a blue water 'gas containing no hydro` carbons, but lpractically all carbon monoxide and hydrogen. In this case the apparatus is operated in asimilar manner, asv ldescribed above,`with theexception that the exhauster is shut off, and blue watergas is allowed `to pass through the 'openings 20Av and 20Binto the regenerator, and -inally out through the water gas outlet, 27, which is controlled by the valve 27A.

As the carbonaceous matter is being burned up4 in the gas generating chamber,

fresh supplies are charged in at the top from time to time. This fresh coal lills the space between the carbonized coall and the retort.

This space is formed by the downward movement of the carbonaceous matter in the than isV otherwise possib retort. vUnder ordinary operating conditions the mass of coal will move down with a. rate of approximately twelve inches per hour. As the entire mass gradually goes down together, an annular space is left in the upper chamber about five inches thick at the top, taperingto one inch or two inches thick atthe bottom of the inclined sections. It is thisspace which is filled by the-fresh coal when the -latter is charged into the generator. f

This method of o eration results inthe fresh coal being su 'jected to distillation,`r

.the heat for the same being obtained from the accumulated heat in the checkerwork of.

the regenerator surrounding the retort. In other Words the fresh coal fed to Athe apparatus is subjected lto the same distillation as that which takes place in an ordinary inclined, vertical or horizontal retort.

During this operation the coal gas is manu;v

factured. This gas is drawn out of the a-pparatus by the exhauster 18.

' When the regular water gas run is nished and the steam is shut off, the exhauster,

which-has been'running constantly during this part of the process, immediately goes back to normal suction. The 'char lng door vis then opened, and a fresh supp y of lcoal is charged into the retort. -By this time, as well, the heat in thev regenerator has been entirely used up, and it is therefore necessary to reheat the regenerator. y This is accomplished in the same manner as has been described'- above. vThus the heating of the regenerator and Vthe formation of gas in this apparatusis discontinuous. The ash andl .clinkex` that are formed during these operations are peridically removed through t e openings 9 and 10A..

Y It is'also possible to makea .gasof a low thermal value in this apparatus. 'In order to. do so water gas." is not made, but a smallamount of steam is admitted lunder the grate suliicient to prevent its burning out. -Air is drawn through the hot carbonaceous matter, and'aproducer gas is made which passes upfthrough the retort and is mixed with the hydrocarbons which are distilled from the.

heating value generator, passed.- through openings 20A and 20B, through the mass of coal' in'the lower part of the generator, and the water ygas that is produced in this process is allowed to iiow out through opening 11 at the bottom of the generator.

Having thus described my invention in full detail; I Claim the following?- 1. Gas apparatus comprising a vertical reaction chamber having its upper portion tapered so that it progressively increases in cross section from the top toward the bottom, and provisions, including means for feeding fresh fuel into the top of the chamber and, for externally heating the upper portion of the chamber, for maintaining a carbonizin-g zone in the upper portionl ofthe chamber and a gasification zone in the lower portion of the chamber and characterized b the fact that the u permost portion of sai chamber is more s arply tapered than the 2o suhjacent portion.

2. In apparatus for the complete gasilication of carbonaceous material, the combination comprising a vertical reaction chamber consisting of an upper retort section and a lower gas generating section, fuel charging means at the top of vthev retort section, waste material discharging means at the bottom ofthe generating section, and a regenerator surroundingr said retort section, said 30 retort section having two sloping portions,

the to portion possessing a greater slope 4than t e lower portion,gand the cross-sec- Y tional area of said portions increasing from the to towards the bottom. 8. apparatus for the complete gasification of carbonaceous materiah the combination comprising a vertical reaction cham-` ber consisting of an upper retort section and a lower gas generating section, external heating means for said retort section, `fuel charging means at the `top of said retort sec- `tion waste material discharging means at the bottom of said generating section, said retort section being made in multiple sloping 4 45 portions, the slopes of said portions increasing with their elevation, and the cross-sectional area of said portlons increasing from the top towards the bottom of said retort section.

FRANK n. Moens. 

